Railway-ticket



(No Model.)

W. H. OBEIRNE & G. B. FITCH.

' RAILWAY TIGKET.-

No. 426,849. Patented Apr. 29,1890.

Fry-.1.

IIVVE/VIORS. ZUL fl: 6 7360211 e G/Lad i3. Zb/vk BY 1 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES IVILLIAM H. OBEIRNE AND CHARLES E. FITCH, OF FORT \VAYNE, INDIANA- ATENT FFICE.

RAI LWAY-TICK ET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,849, dated April 29, 1890.

Application filed Pebruaryzl, 1889. Serial No. 300,684. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that we, WILLIAM H. OBEIRNE and CHARLES B. FITCH, citizens of the United States, and residents of Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Tickets; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of this invention, and is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is partly a side view and partly a section taken Where the broken line is shown on Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a back view and shows a portion of a ticket.

This invention has relation to railroadtickets; and it consists in the construction and novel combination of devices, all as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the appended claim.

The invention is mainly designed for use in connection with round-tripand other tickets which are generally sold at a reduced rate, the purchaser signing an attached contract in which he agrees that if the ticket is presented for passage by any other party than himself it will be void. In this contract the traveler further agrees to present the ticket at the'ticket-office at the point of destination, and there, as a means of identifying himself as the original purchaser, to write his signature upon the back of the ticket, after which it is acceptable for the return-passage.

The object of this invent-i011 is to provide a check whereby any other person than the original purchaser will be prevented from utilizing the ticket at the point of destination for the return-passage. To this end a sealed attachment to the ticket, as hereinafter described, inclosing the signature and such personal description as may be necessary for identification, is provided.

In the accompanying drawings the ticket is illustrated, having the contract portion B, and the coupons 0 O, and the folding portion or attachment D, this portion being provided with perforations e, which, when the attachment is placed in position upon the main portions of the ticket, register with perforations 9, made in the innermost coupon and in an intermediate folding portion 13, so that a cord g can be pressed through said perforations and drawn up tightly, so as to hold the folded or attachment portion D closed, the ends of the cord being brought together and sealed upon the main portion of the ticket, as at h. Inside the folded portion is written the signature of the purchaser, with that of a witness, if desired, and sucha description of said purchaser as will enable the ticket-agent at the point of destination to judge pretty accurately whether the party presenting the ticket for stamping is the original purchaser or not. A photograph may be in this way sealed to the ticket, so that it cannot be removed without breaking the seal. In the contract is inserted a clause making the ticket void if the seal is broken.

In applying this invention to railroadtickets the folded or attachment portion D is continuous with the contract and between said contract and the coupons, which are continuous with the folded portion. The portion D is folded in its middle portion, as on the line K upon the back of the coupon, and the end of the contract portion is folded down upon the end of the attachment portion, and the perforations are made so that when the parts are thus folded the perforations of the folded portion of the coupon and of the contract will register. The cord g is not applied until the ticket is sold. Then the ticket-agent, having noted in the folded portion the particulars relating to the personal appearance .of the party and having obtained his signature therein, folds up the part D and passes the cord h in loop form around through the perforations e 6, so as to hold the portion D in folded position, brings the ends together, and fixes them with the wax at h, which is officially stamped. This having been done, the party purchasing the ticket cannot get at the particulars noted in the folded portions, nor can any other person discover these particulars without breaking the seal.

ICC

mediate folding portion having marginal perforations, and the holding-cord passed through the perforations of the aforesaid parts and the securing-seal applied thereto and to the holding-cord, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures 2c in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. OBEIRN E. CHARLES E. FITCH. Witnesses:

CHARLES L. OLDS, HARRY TEMPLAR. 

